Wales take on Australia on Sunday hoping to avoid a defeat which would consign them to a national record of 11 straight losses.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points for the one-off Test at the Principality Stadium.
Wily coaches
Wales coach Warren Gatland finds himself staring down at an unwanted national record of 11 straight Test defeats should his team lose to Australia, who have won nine of the last 11 Tests against the Welsh, including twice this summer.
“Both those games were tight, in Sydney and Melbourne,” Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt argued, also referencing the 40-6 victory Wales secured over Australia — with Eddie Jones in charge — at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“It’s not like Wales have metamorphised into a really bad team. They got very close to a number of teams in the Six Nations. Lost by one score to England and Scotland, as well as Fiji (24-19) last week.
“I’m sure Warren is feeling some pressure, just like any international coach.”
Gatland and Schmidt know each other well, the latter having overseen the transformation of Ireland into one of the world’s top teams before helping the All Blacks in 2023 and then taking on his current role.
Sunday’s match will be the 12th time the pair — who played for the same New Zealand teachers’ team — have faced off against each other. Schmidt has boasting rights, with seven wins to Gatland’s three, with one match drawn.
And Schmidt had sympathy for his fellow New Zealander as both teams transition with the blooding of a raft of younger players.
“I am comfortable with the pressure being on me,” insisted Gatland.
Centres of attention
Player of the match in Australia’s spectacular 42-37 victory over England last week was Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, on his Test debut after crossing codes from rugby league.
But the 21-year-old has been benched for the Wales game, Samu Kerevi instead starting alongside Len Ikitau in midfield.
“It was a whirlwind for Joseph for the last two weeks so for him just to be able to take a breath and watch a bit of game before entering, it is a great opportunity for us to change it up if required,” Schmidt said.
“There was that temptation to keep him there to a degree. Anybody who plays four consecutive Tests against the ranked countries we are up against, that’s a big challenge for anybody, particularly playing the full 80 minutes.”
Wales centres Ben Thomas and Max Llewellyn will have their hands full to keep the Wallabies in check, with Suaalii bound for a cameo role to showcase his aerial prowess and sublime offloading skills.
Thomas said he had seen a lot of Suualii playing in the NRL with the Sydney Roosters.
“He probably gave us a glimpse of what we can expect on the weekend when we play against him, so it is on us to limit his time and space,” he said.
“They always get athletes when they get league players, so we will be aware of it.”
Captain Morgan returns
There is a welcome return to the starting Wales XV for Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan, the 2023 World Cup co-captain who has not started a Test match since that tournament.
He led Wales in their World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina and a non-cap victory over the Barbarians. But there followed a catalogue of knee and hamstring injuries that saw him miss both the Six Nations and the summer tour to Australia.
“They’re a great outfit. They had a great win last weekend against England. We need to be on it for 80 minutes,” Morgan said of the Australian threat.
“I feel ready, excited. We can definitely turn it around. It’s down to momentum and getting a bit of a luck. As long as we stick together anything can happen.
“A win and maybe a bit of confidence can come back in. A lot of boys played in that match (in the Rugby World Cup) and we can take confidence from that.”
Morgan added: “We never go out to lose. We go out to win and make everyone proud. There is pressure every week at this level whether you’re winning or losing.”
He will be up against indefatigable Rob Valetini, moved to No 8 with Harry Wilson ruled out injured, alongside Fiji-born Seru Uru and Fraser McReight.
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